The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-12-31
ESCAPED WITH MS LIFE.
A villa Weird Tale About . Han. Z
Snake and . Iirepsoof oa5a

clerk tn an EogIish merchantb once. Ny
work was heavy. Many nights l sat At
my books until late into the smslls hours
of the morning. Once or twice actually
slosed of into sleep, to be awakened BY
the woman who cleaned the various rooms
coming to her work.
The house was connected with had .
branch establishment in India dOing .
large business. and many curious con-
signments Of goods, quite outside Of our
usual articles Of commerce, passed
through our hands. Priceless cloths and
native fabrics, brass and gold ornaments
sets with precious stones, botanical
specimens, birds, anims.s-everythiog, in
fact, until 1t times the contents of the
casss. If opened and spread out. would
have made very average museum.
One afternoon . large box Was deliv-
cred from one of the ships labeled ITO he
kept in q moderately warm place." l
was away from the warehouse at the time
of ito arrival. and the man placed it in
the outer Office. On my return l actually
noticed the case in passing and saw that
ono end was slightly crushed as if BY
some heavier case falling on it. This was
. mere accidental observance.
My private Office was just four walls.
hung With maps and charts. A writing
bureau in the center Of the floor, behind
the door; behind the bureau . large iron
fire. proof safe, some six feet high and
four feet square, standing twelve or 6f-
teen inches from the wall. aud . case of
books and three or four chairs completed
the inventory.
was going to work late, and in =
short time was alone in the large build
ing.
worked steadily until midnight. l
arose and paced about the room for few
minutes.
A sound, as of Q chair being moved in
the adjoining room, startled me.
stepped to the door and opened it.
The light from the street lamp lit the
room fairly we'll, and after q glance l
concluded it must have been fancy, and
returned to my desk, leaving the door
open.
A few minutes afterward faint, harsh
sound came from the same directiOn-a
curious rubbing sound-undeniably
ia the next room, and quite as undenia-
bly, moving toward the door leading to
where was sitting.
rose to my feet and a. did so the
head and neck of a'huge snake protruded
through the doorway into the we'll lit
room.
stood transfixed with horror.
When the reptile saw me it stopped
for q second. its eyes grew more aud
more adame until they resembled two
lurid balls of fire, its tongue darted 10
and out of its mouth, and the head raised
higher and higher until nearly level with
my own. l could hear its body coiling
and recoiling in fury In the darkness be-
You'd, and there / stood powerlcss, un.
able to move.
l looked around in despair;ng search
for some outlet of escape, and. as took
my eyes from those of the horrible reptile
1t lowered its head and dsrted toward me.
Another second and it would have caught
me, when seeing the open safe, rushed
in and shut the door. A small, petty
cash book fell to the floor, half in, half
out Of the safe, holding the door open
about half an inch.
But for that book I would have speed
lily been suffocsted. Not thinking Of that
! stopped and tried to draw the book in
side, but the snake, moving simultaneous
~ with myself, had dashed itself against
the safe, and in its brute fury, thinking the
safe part and parcel Of myself had thrown
Its coils around it, COMPRISING the door
so tightly that I fortunately could not re-
move the book, which was my sole means
of ventilation.
Half crazed with fright, pulled and
tuggcd at it without avail. The perspi
ration rolled down my face, my heart
beat almost to bursting, and even with
the book holding the door sjar, seemed
to be at the point of suffocation. Gssping
for breath and utterly nerveless, fell
against the door and slid to the floor in
= dead faint.
How long l remained so / cannot tell,
perhaps few minutes, perhaps an hour.
At last my senses returned, and although
dfeadufully cramped in my position, into
which l had subsidized in the narrow
space, l felt l had not the power to raise,
and lay there gazing through the narrow
opening at the two folds which encircled
my refuge, feeling a horrible fascination
that shall never forget. l even passed
my finger out aud touched one, feeling
ouivering movement that tDid me the
reptile had drawn Its coils to their ut
most tension, in the hope of crushing the
shell that held the precious kernel Of NY
self.
BY an effort / collected my ideas. and
remembering the box and the crushed
end, could readily account for tho pres